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CLAUSE
12
"That for
delivering this message, he was put to death
by the Jews and Romans, who were, however,
but instruments in the hands of God, for
the doing of that which He had determined
before to be done, viz., the condemnation
of sin in the flesh, through the offering
of the body of Jesus once for all, as a
propitiation to declare the righteousness
of God, as a basis for the remission of
sins. All who approach God through this
crucified, but risen, representative of
Adam’s disobedient race, are forgiven. Therefore,
by a figure, his blood cleanseth from sin.
– Luke 19:47; 20:1-16; John 11:45-53; Acts
10:38,39; 13:26-29; 4:27,28; Rom 8:3; Heb
10:10; Acts 13:38; 1Jno 1:7; Jno 14:6; Acts
4:12; 1Pet 3:18; 2:24; Heb 9:14; 7:27; 9:26-28;
Gal 1:4; Rom 3:25; 15:8; Gal 3:21,22; 2:21;
4:4,5; Heb 9:15; Luke 22:20; 24:26,46,47;
Mat 26:28"
Although earlier
clauses of the Birmingham Amended Statement
of Faith have considered in some detail
the principles of the Sacrifice of Christ,
this section returns to that theme in order
to affirm other vital principles exhibited
in the practical outworking of the Atonement.
As we saw in the last issue, it was the
Master’s claim to be both the Son of the
Most High, and the coming Messiah who would
possess and occupy David’s Throne that so
incensed the Jews to the extent that they
sought to put him to death. But it is vital
to recognise that the crucifixion of Christ
was not merely a murderous act of evil men
as is sometimes claimed. It was something
foreordained by the Father, and those men
- though acting under fleshly motives in
the rejection of Divine things - were but
instruments by which the Father’s purpose
would be worked out. This is the plain testimony
of Scripture:
“Jesus of Nazareth,
a man approved of God among you by miracles
and wonders and signs, which God did by
Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves
also know: him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified
and slain” (Acts 2:22,23).
“of a truth against
Thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed,
but Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles,
and the people of Israel, were gathered
together, for to do whatsoever thy hand
and thy counsel determined before to be
done” (Acts 4:27,28).
So it was, that both
the Jews and Romans became united together
in seeking to destroy Yahweh’s Anointed
– yet both were unwittingly the Father’s
agents in performing that which he had “determined
before to be done”.
CRUSHING
THE SERPENT’S HEAD
This determination
of the Father was expressed immediately
consequent to the introduction of sin into
the world, when it was predicted that the
woman’s future seed would have his walk
in life temporarily interrupted as he delivered
a fatal, crushing blow to the serpentine
head:
“I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy
head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen
3:15).
And the point to
take note of here, is that this was not
so much a promise to man these words were
rather given in the cursing of the Serpent.
The principle is, that only by the crushing
of the serpent’s head – the serpentine mind
- could man be finally delivered from the
law of sin and death. Here was the Father’s
purpose stated from the beginning, that
the mind of sin would be crushed and destroyed
in the Sacrifice of Christ. As Paul expressed
it, “God, sending his own Son in the likeness
of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh” (Rom 8:3).
And notice, the One
giving the condemnation here is the Father
Himself “God … condemned sin in the flesh”
of his son. Those wicked hands that delivered
the Master up to be crucified, though motivated
by jealousy and hatred, were but the agents
through whom the Father’s Purpose might
be executed. Indeed, these men were themselves
the serpent’s seed, dominated by the serpentine
mind of rebellion, as the Master himself
declared: “ye are of your father the diabolos,
and the lusts of your father will ye do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar,
and the father of it” (Jno 8:44). That was
the disposition of the serpent’s seed who
were at enmity with the woman’s seed; having
murderous lusts, abiding not in the truth,
and speaking lies of their own. They dutifully,
yet unconsciously enacted their part; their
own fleshly lusts being used of the Father
for the furtherance of His Purpose to give
an arm of salvation to those who would take
hold of it.
THE
CONDEMNATION OF SIN - IN DEATH
In the May issue
(available on request), we examined how
the brotherhood is currently being presented
with a new doctrine – or rather a resurgence
of an old doctrine in a modified form –
known as, the Saved by His Life theory,
after the book where the doctrine was set
forth, or latterly The Theory of Partial
Atonement. The notion here, is that ‘flesh
and blood’ does not in itself require a
sacrificial cleansing (hence the idea of
‘partial’ – for sins only, not nature),
and that the condemnation of sin took place
in the mortal life of the Master, not his
death.
We saw how Bro Robert
Roberts was confronted with the same notion,
and in speaking of the Father’s determination
to condemn sin in Christ rejected it, saying
“Some would explain it as meaning the moral
condemnation of sin by Christ during his
life. This cannot be the meaning in view
of the statement with which it is conjoined
that what was done was “what the law could
not do.” The law condemned sin so thoroughly
in the moral sense that it is called “the
ministration of condemnation” (The Law of
Moses). And the clause of the BASF under
our present consideration affirms the same
truth, defining how it was that sin was
condemned: “ … the condemnation of sin in
the flesh, through the offering of the body
of Jesus once for all, as a propitiation
to declare the righteousness of God as a
basis for the remission of sins”. The new
theory then, is specifically opposed to
the statement forming the basis of Christadelphian
fellowship.
A
DECLARATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Sin, therefore was
condemned in the flesh “through the offering
of the body of Jesus.” As we have amply
demonstrated in examining the previous clauses,
Christ brought the diabolos to destruction
upon the accursed tree (Heb 2:14). But associated
with this condemnation of sin, is the declaration
of the Father’s righteousness; in the Divine
Scheme of things, these two principles are
the pivotal points of the Atonement. All
wrong doctrines we have been presented with
on the matter denies either the one or the
other. The Saved By His Life Theory in effect,
denies the condemnation of Sin in the flesh
of Christ. The Substitution theory, held
by many Churches, denies the declaration
of Righteousness – the principle here is
that Christ died instead of us, the innocent
man taking the place of the guilty about
to be hanged, being a favourite image of
the apostasy. But in this idea, where is
the righteousness? A guilty man is left
to go free – an innocent man is punished
instead of him! But the Truth as revealed
in Scripture is very plain indeed, as Bro
Roberts described it:
“It would not be
righteous to put to death one on whom death
had no claims. It would not be kindness
to say to us, “I will let you go free if
that man will die?” The kindness, wisdom,
and righteousness of God are all obscured
by any idea of that sort; but the Scriptural
idea is a masterpiece, a triumph of divine
wisdom. God says now: “If you will recognise
your position, repent, and come under that
man’s wing, I will receive you back to favour
and forgive you. My righteousness has been
declared in him; I have crowned him with
everlasting days; because he loved righteousness
and hated iniquity, and was obedient unto
death, I have crowned him with life eternal.
It is in him for you if you will submit
and believe in him and put on his name,
which is a confession that you have no name
of your own that will stand. Obey his commandments,
and I will receive you and forgive you for
his sake, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.”
This is a splendid issue of kindness and
wisdom
(The Blood of Christ).
There is no wisdom,
or kindness in the theories of men which
render void the extension of Divine kindness
and love in the provision of Christ, as
a sacrificial Lamb to take away our sins.
Though it is those who are so bold as to
resist those theories who are branded the
troublemakers and sowers of discord; the
reality is very different in the Divine
estimation. Those who stand by and watch
the wolves (cp Acts 20:29) devour the flock
demonstrate no real love or concern for
their brethren and sisters welfare. How
can it be loving to grant the wolves free
reign to do as they please amongst the flock
of God? Those who profess love and toleration
towards those who preach another Christ
love the wolf more than the flock being
destroyed! But those who desire to follow
the example of the Great shepherd (Jno 10:11-13)
will contend against the wolves to their
very last breath, out of love to those for
whom Christ died.
CHRIST
OUR REPRESENTATIVE
The BASF continues
to describe the means whereby believers
might be reconciled to the Most High through
Christ Crucified thus: “All who approach
God through this crucified, but risen representative
of Adam’s disobedient race, are forgiven.
Therefore, by a figure, his blood cleanseth
from sin”.
Having been raised
from the bonds of death, the Great High
Priest passed through the heavens (Heb 4:14),
to appear in the Most Holy Place, even the
Dwelling place of the Eternal Spirit Himself
- for us, to be our representative there:
“Christ is not entered into the holy places
made with hands, which are the figures of
the true; but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb
9:24). Even as Aaron appeared once yearly
in the Symbolic Holy of Holies as the to
represent the people before the Most High
(Lev 16), even so Christ appears in the
presence of God for us. He appears in the
presence of the Almighty as a representative
of those who are under the constitution
of Sin, yet who seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
And as the Almighty beholds the people’s
representative, he sees One who is free
from sin, having put it away by the sacrifice
of himself (Heb 9:26) - One who is holy
and undefiled, having been separated from
sinners (Heb 7:26). And in that One, He
beholds only righteousness, the righteousness
of Christ, which is in fact His Own righteousness,
as declared by him, and not the sins of
the people whom Christ represents. He is
able to be a representative, for he was
one of us, having laboured under the dominion
of death (Rom 6:9), partaking of the infirmities
of our nature. Yet he is able to appear
before the Father on our behalf, because
he overcame that nature, and can stand before
Him free from sin. The way of salvation
for us then, must involve an identification
with that holy man; as Bro Roberts said,
we must “become part of him, in merging
our individualities in him by taking part
in his death, and putting on his name and
sharing his life afterwards” (The Law of
Moses, p 174). Only then can we be reconciled
to the Most High, and have boldness to approach
the Throne of Grace (Heb 4:16, cp Rom 5:2)
in the hope of Eternal life.
Chris
Maddocks
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